Yo Unregistered: Join us for the April 1 meeting when it will be Recovery night. We will have demonstrations working with winching, recovery and spotting. We will meet at 7:30 p.m. at Jefferson County Fairgrounds (not Stevinson Toyota but nearby).

Hi, I am new here. Through a career change, my dad ended up giving me his 1978 FJ40. 2F engine with the 4 speed.

It has a few issues that I think might be carb related but I have never delt with a carb before. I did some searching on here and Ih8mud but I didn't come up with much on how to tune these carbs. I am looking for someone local(ish) who could come over and give me a hand getting this thing running better.

The symptoms:
-I have to mess with the choke to get it to idle, it always has to be out a bit
-It runs pretty rough and the idle seems high
-It wont start sometimes after driving it for a bit, I have to let it sit for like 20 mins then try for a while for it to start.
-I pulled the plugs and they were real messy with some white stuff caked on them (running rich/hot???). I am hoping to get some new plugs/cap/rotor in the next few weeks.
-It has also been SUCKING gas down. I know these are bad but it seems to go through half a tank in a weekend of light driving.

It also has some rust through the floor pan but I plan on working on that after I get it running.

Cool truck! Be patient - you're picking up the slack on some 30 years of deferred maintenence.

- Replace intake/exhaust manifold gasket, check intake for cracks under carb
- Rebuild carb with kit from CarQuest (replace secondary diaphram while you're in there)
- Clean ash/deposits from plugs, or replace them.
- Install electric fuel pump to prevent vapor locking/hard starts when hot
- Try to fix the electric carb fan - it should run for up to 30 minutes after you shut the truck off on a hot day.
- Check for other vacuum leaks, proper base timing, a functioning vacuum advance (not rusted shut or hole in diaphram).
- Expect 12+ MPG in all around driving.

Vacuum leak is #1 thing to check. Check or block of your PCV and see if the symptoms are reduced. I use a piece of cardboard to completely block of the carb. If the idle raises just before it dies, you have a vacuum leak.

The fuel thing is either running rich all the time to keep her running or the float and or needle is stuck.

__________________aka Mike D.----->Bio PageKDřGWY“He who goes unarmed in paradise had better be sure that that is where he is.”—James Thurber"Its better to be thought a fool rather than to speak up and remove all doubt." - Lincolnpride is ego, the word I had lost was dignity. The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect.Ptarmigan build thread - 95FZJ80www.root45.comwww.risingsun4x4club.orgTLCA #14133

Sounds like you need a tune-up to try and baseline things. Probably a mixture of things causing your issues. Timing, maybe vacuum and it wouldn't hurt to give the carb a once over either.

Is everything under the hood stock?

Thanks! Everything is stock (I think). It looks like the PO before my dad bought it messed with some of the stuff. It looks like there is an AC compressor and another little thing below it that are missing a belt. I will try to take some pictures.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveH

Cool truck! Be patient - you're picking up the slack on some 30 years of deferred maintenence.

- Replace intake/exhaust manifold gasket, check intake for cracks under carb
- Rebuild carb with kit from CarQuest (replace secondary diaphram while you're in there)
- Clean ash/deposits from plugs, or replace them.
- Install electric fuel pump to prevent vapor locking/hard starts when hot
- Try to fix the electric carb fan - it should run for up to 30 minutes after you shut the truck off on a hot day.
- Check for other vacuum leaks, proper base timing, a functioning vacuum advance (not rusted shut or hole in diaphram).
- Expect 12+ MPG in all around driving.

Steve
(20 year owner of a stock '78 FJ40)

Wow, thanks for all the tips! I am on a college students budget so it might be slow going getting through the list. It looks like I should start at the top of the list?

As for rebuilding/adjusting the carb, I have never worked on one before. is it something you can do in an afternoon? Is there some good resources on this?

Vacuum leak is #1 thing to check. Check or block of your PCV and see if the symptoms are reduced. I use a piece of cardboard to completely block of the carb. If the idle raises just before it dies, you have a vacuum leak.

The fuel thing is either running rich all the time to keep her running or the float and or needle is stuck.

Thanks, Ill have to try the vacuum leak check. A lot of the rubber (tubes, wires) under the hood look pretty old